Earthbound : A gripping crime thriller full of twists and supernatural suspense Fynn Perry (if you liked this book TXT) 📖

check something,” Hamilton said. He got up and fetched his laptop and then sat back in the leather armchair. He powered up the computer and, after logging on, accessed the New York Tribune online database. “So, you think El Gordito kidnapped a biochemist and forced him to genetically engineer a yeast that can be used to biologically synthesize cocaine and heroin from scratch, without the need for any plants?”

“Yes,” Jennifer confirmed as Hamilton continued to scan the screen of his laptop.

“What you are saying is possible,” he acknowledged, “but the understanding of the biological processes of synthesizing organic compounds that complex is thought by scientists to be many years away!”

“Well, El Gordito didn’t kidnap just any bioscientist, he kidnapped Emrez Yilmaz, the one man in the world who can actually do it!”

Hamilton feverishly tapped away at his computer and scanned the screen.

“Do you know what this means if it’s true?” Hamilton didn’t wait for an answer. “He’s going to make the growing of poppies for heroin and coca leaves for cocaine redundant. That would marginalize all the drug production in South America, Central America, and Afghanistan and eventually render it obsolete. Because with the synthesis method there would be no transportation costs, no middlemen and no more ‘cutting’ of the product with substances that dilute purity and stretch profit.” He paused, appearing to do a mental calculation. “Right now, a kilo of cocaine sells in the Colombian jungle where it is made for $2,000 and by the time it gets to New York City its value has risen to $27,000 and it has been cut at least ten times. With local production and superior purity, El Gordito has practically zero costs and maximum profit. He’s going to enrage a whole lot of people and cause a huge rise in drug-related murders between gangs that will be eager to get a share of the distribution and profits. Then there’s of course the increased risk of medical complications and death due to the likely intolerance of most users to drugs of such purity. This is going to require a whole new war on drugs! And you say that he is pressing the cocaine and heroin into a single pill?”

“Yes, with a red spider logo,” Jennifer confirmed. “It’s called Spider Bite.”

“Speedballs in a pill— that’s even worse,” he sighed.

“What do you mean? What are speedballs?” asked Jennifer.

“Speedballing is when you mix a stimulant like cocaine with a depressant like heroin.” He paused, seeing that David and Jennifer were looking lost. “OK, let me back up,” he said. “Cocaine is a stimulant, which is great for when you are clubbing and need a lift but it’s no good when you want to relax and get high at home—that’s what heroin does as a depressant. By mixing the drugs, you are using the sedating effects of heroin to temper the extreme energy rush of cocaine and soften the inevitable crash after a cocaine high. The result is an intense, longer-lasting high than either drug can provide on its own, which, of course, makes cravings for it stronger.”

“But it’s more dangerous?” David prompted.

Hamilton nodded his agreement. “What users don’t realize is, that because they don’t feel the extreme effects of either drug, they are not able to tell if they’re approaching lethal levels. Even if users are careful not to overdose, they are not in the clear, because there is also the detrimental long-term effect that a rapid change between energetic and sedated states has on the organs of the body. And taking into account the purity of the drugs that El Gordito is making… you can assume that every effect I have just mentioned will be greatly amplified. What he has created is probably the most addictive and dangerous drug on the planet.” He sounded both alarmed and excited.

“So, overdose victims wouldn’t necessarily make good organ donors, would they?” Jennifer offered, thinking of the other batch of rogue pills John had told her about.

“Probably not, and the fact that the main organs are undamaged by the drugs is interesting. That will need some expert research,” Hamilton replied, sounding mystified.

Before Jennifer could say anything about the batch of defective pills, Hamilton continued, his voice more commanding now. “Let’s keep the stories separate for now, for greater impact and ease of investigation. We should tackle the drug-brewing story first, get it substantiated, and then move onto the next big story on black-market organ trade. What was the name of the logistics place?”

“Supreme Logistics.”

“Where’s it located?”

“Newstone in New Jersey.”

“Whoa! That’s perfect!”

“Why?” Jennifer’s asked, her curiosity overriding her desire to tell Hamilton about the other pills.

“Where do I start? It’s a crime-riddled town with corrupt police and other officials. Most of its population is unemployed, disenfranchised, and desperate people. The county jail is located right in the center of the town and a huge number of prisoners get paroled there instead of in their native hometowns. Most of these releases are violent offenders, drug dealers, and burglars, creating the perfect environment for gangs, drug pushers, and desperate families ready to do about anything for a buck and with a deep-seated hatred for law enforcement. It looks like El Gordito did his homework.”

“What about the fulfillment center. Is there anything suspicious about how it got built?” David asked.

Hamilton typed some keywords into the database. “There’s nothing about a permit or anything else specifically for that building, but the entire park came under a master permit, which got some positive press for creating jobs in the area. Looks like interest died down after that. You could see the master permit at City Hall, but I doubt it will go into detail about the building layout, especially a secret basement for that building.”

“Of course,” David nodded.

“Now, about the organ harvesting,” Hamilton went on. “The donors were all club-goers from El Gordito’s clubs and they were all found to have taken the Spider’s Bite pills and they all showed symptoms of brain-death, but their organs were undamaged, right?”

Jennifer nodded.

“Clubgoers would make